SURAIYA - SINGING SENSATION

She enthralled thousands by her honey-voice. Millions swooned over her beauty. She was anointed by fans as  'Malika-e-Husn' (queen of beauty), and 'Malika-e-Tarannum' (queen of melody). She was Suraiya. The sovereign actress-singer of yesteryears.

Suraiya was born at Gujranwala ( Pakistan) on 15 June 1929. She came to Bombay along with her mother, maternal uncles and grandparents. Here she studied and entered the filmdom as child artiste in 1937 film Usne Kya Socha.

Thereafter in 1941 she bagged a role as a heroine in filmTaj Mahal. At the tender age of 13 Suraiya made foray into playback singing. Her first song was for film Sharda. She didn’t had any formal training in singing.

 Her untrained voice had a peculiar charisma which caught the fancy of music director Naushad. Bollywood legend has it that Nuashad saw her in Kardar Studio where she had gone to watch film shooting and recommended her for playback. As Baby Suraiya her first song was for Kardar's Nai Duniya ( 1942). She ostensibily used to stand on a stool in order to reach the mike for singing.

After her initial phase Suraiya made her debut as a leading lady in Nanubhai Vakil’s 'Taj Mahal' .
In the early part of her career Suraiya got the support of Naushad. Under his tutelage she blossomed as a singer. Under the baton of Naushad Suraiya delivered some of her biggest hits in the early part of her career.

In Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi Naushad gave Suraiya three solo songs to sing. In the movie Suraiya was pitted against the colossal of her times, Noorjehan. During the making of the film Noorjehan gave a hard time to Suraiya. But Suraiya proved her mettle by her voice, and Naushad stood by her strongly. The film completed silver jubilee in Mumbai. Anmol Ghadi paved the way for Suraiya to become a singing superstar.

Hoever, Suraiya came to her own after Noorjehan married and migrated to Pakistan during Partition.
Suraiya was at the height of her popularity between 1947 and 1950.

This was the phase when Suraiya co-starred with Dev Anand in several block busters. Their proximity brought them emotionally close and they became romantically involved. However, their affair wasn't destined to see the light of the day. Suraiya's grandmother opposed the match and that was the end of the story. Suraiya was heartbroken and she never married. Dev kept Suraiya's love aflame in his heart till his last days. Thus tragically ended  Bollywood's one of the most popular love stories.

In the 1950s, Suraiya faced competition from Lata Mangeshkar. However, sadly, her career was on the decline.  The phase of actor-singer was on the wane. Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum had also joined the bandwagon. Suraiya sang her last song “Yeh kaesii ajab daastaan” in the  Rustom-e-Sohrab ( 1953)  At the age of 34 she said adieu to the film industry. She breathed her last on  31 January 2004 after a long battle with cancer.

THE 'LOIN'OF BOLLYWOOD

His tone was soft, tenor sweet but undercurrent was undecidedly menancing. He spoke with  firm persuasiveness, and the threatening message was not lost to whom it was intended. 

In the firmament of thundering,threatening and terrorizing villains of Bollywood there will always be a safe and special niche for the Ajit. The quintessential villain of Hindi films. 

Ajit, born Hamid Ali Khan, celebrates his birthday on 27 January. His dialogue delivery was his raison d'être. Long before Prem Chopra made the genteel dialogue delivery his trademark, Ajit spewed menace on silver screen by his studied nonchalance and pseudo sweetness. 

When he spoke it was always with a deadpan face. His double meaning quips made him all the more famous. 

Remember the Loin of Kalicharan, where he famously quipped

'Saara Saher Mujhe Loin ke Naam Se Jaanta Hai'

( 'Whole town knows me as Loin')

Mona Darling was his ever loyal sidekick to whom he purred his lines aside. Years after his passing Ajit jokes are still a favourite. People love to emulate his speaking style and his ribaldness. His character is a font of double meaning jokes. 

Ajit's den was set designer's dream. Menacing hoodlums hanged around , secret doors slid open and closed and multi coloured lights blinked to create an aura of the underworld. 

In a career spanning nearly four decades Ajit acted in over 200 films

Ajit was born in 1922  near Golconda in Andhra Pradesh. Attraction of films drew him to Mumbai. He started his film career in 1946 with Shahe Misr. 

1946 to 1956 was a period of struggle for Ajit where he tried to make his place in the industry. Around this time he acted in Patanga, Zidd, Sarkar, Taranag , Mahal and some other films. But none of these fared well at the box office. 

To break the jinx he was advised to shorten his name. So he changed his name from Hamid Ali to Ajit. The move proved auspicious and he bagged the film Bekasur as a hero. 

 In K Asif's 1960 magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam Ajit played a supporting role, sharing screen with thespian Dilip Kumar. 

 Then followed a spew of films like Shikari, Prince, Aadmi Aur Insaan where his villany got finally recognized. 

1973 was a watershed year for Ajit. With blockbusters like Zanjeer, Yadoon Ki Baraat, Kahanai Kismet Ki and Jugnu, Ajit tasted unprecedented success as a villain. 

In 1976 Subhash Ghai cast him in the role of the formidable Don Lion. They way he twisted his name to Loin in a sarcastic drawl became his hallmark. 

After Kaalicharan Ajit never really looked back and scaled new heights in villany. 

Ajit stopped acting in the early 1980s after heart surgery and moved back home to Hyderabad.

But Bollywood couldn't have enough of Ajit and again he was offered films. In 1985 he made a comeback with Police Officer. His last film was Ganster after that he returned to Hyderabad where he breathed his last on 22 October 1998

NATION BOILS OVER PADMAVAT

The storm over Padmavat has brought to the fore faultlines in the community. Unbridled rampage by hitherto unknown Karni Sena has again underlined the fragile times in which we live.
But more importantly, violent protests over the film despite the stern ruling of the apex court has omnious omen . The constitution itself has been challenged. Freedom of expression, as guaranteed by the constitution and ensured by the Supreme Court rulings have been encroached upon. The defiant stand of the four Indian states is also worrisome.
The violence on Padmavat began on 14th April in Jaipur when Karni Sena members rampaged the sets of Padmavat and slapped the director Sanjay Leela Bhansali.  As the film got ready for release spordiac violent protests became a permanent fixture and finally the effigy burning and hooligansim left a trail of unrestrained parochial frenzy over the film.
As Karni Sena made headlines by wanton violence and protest, and state after state writhed and broiled in the fires of violence, the central government maintained  a stoic silence. The government held that policing is a state subject and unless the violence striken states ask for help the Centre can do nothing.
As protestors indulged in mindless violence and broke law with impunity, people squirmed and suffered. Gurugram saw a brutish display of terror. Protestors jammed the streets and highway, and wrecked havoc. Even school bus carrying children were not spared. Other states  were also no stranger to hoodlumism.

Government of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana played shy of getting the film a safe release in their respective states. All this despite the fact that the Supreme Court has directed the state governments to ensure a safe and secure release of the film.
In Gujarat the multiplex owners out of sheer fear and retaliation have publicly announced that they wont screen the film. Still the vandals played havoc with multiplexes and tore into malls and smashed shops. The government was found wanting in preventing the lunacy.
The Supreme Court had cleared the release of Padmavat and overturned the decision of four states to ban its screening.

The film was given a screening certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC) but was oppeosed by Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh’s law officer had argued that his government has the right to invoke Section 6 of the MP Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1952, to suspend the exhibition of any film to maintain law and order.
Other three states have also, in their own way, cocked a snook at the apex court. This amounts to contempt of court. Petitions have already been filed at the court to take cognizance of the offence.

But the matter is serious. The way the Court's order has been publicy flouted by a show of unbridled  defiance can set dangerous precedent. More so because the state and its elected representatives have chosen to challenge the law of the land. This is a clear case of institutional anarchy and can cleave the nation.
 Moreover,  fringe groups can take the cue and confront and disregard the rule of law . This can lead to anarchy and breakdown of administrative machinery. 

YOGI IN A HARDSELL MODE

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath is in a hardsell mode. The product is his state, and he is wooing investors and tourist with a vengeance. Treading the Modi path, Yogi in his marketing man avatar is organizing meetings and symposiums for investors and asking for their munificence. With proposal over 2.7 lakh crore Yogi government is all set to initiate a new timeline for development.

Yogi has met investors in five cities of India. Of these the Mumbai meet was most fruitful. It yielded proposals worth around 1.25 lakh crore.

Now government has changed its gears and is promoting Uttar Pradesh as a brand. In these days of marketing when everything is being passed off as a product, it is no wonder that to promote a state it is being positioned as a lucrative product.

Theme song has been crafted and launched and for the first time foundation day of Uttar Pradesh is being celebrated.

Districts are being identified with a traditional saleable commodity. Marketing strategies are being finetuned .

The industry on the other hand is placing its own demands on the table. It is demanding responsive administration, cheaper electricity and better sops.

Law and order is a major problem in the state. Rise of Hindu brigade is also being seen as a disruptive force. The ball, then, is in Yogi’s court. He has to set his house in order before investment starts rolling in .

CREAMY LAYER POLITICS

The Modi government has decided to  hike the creamy layer ceiling from Rs. 6 lakh to 8 lakhs per annum and has announced the formation of a committe to decide on the sub categorization of OBC categories.

The decision is fraught with political connotations. The move  is being viewed as Mandal 2.0.  To  divide the spoils of benefits, Other Backward Castes  will be  further fragmented and sub cateogorized. This will cater to the ever increasing demands from different OBC groups for more handouts.

Political mobilization of OBC seems to be the prime mover behind the move. BJP is no stranger to dalit politics. In Uttar Pradesh hustings it has proved its stategy correct by fielding non Yadav’s and backwards and garnering a comfortable majority.

In the year end Gujarat is going to polls. OBC mobilization can work wonders for BJP here. The threat from Patidar movement can be effectively neutralized.

In Bihar BJP can consolidate its ground. Though the party has tied up with Nitish, still it is in effort to create its own mass base. Nitish had created the Maha Dalit category and appropriated a section of backwards. He had undercut Lalu’s dominance. BJP is set to do a course correction here.

Some other states are also in the electoral fray. General elections are not far away. Like other moves of Modi this policy manoeuvre is also loaded politically. 

TRIPLE TALAQ : HIDDEN AGENDA OF MODI

The Supreme Court is to finally give its verdict in the Triple Talaq case. The legal adjudication of the triple talaq issue has been pushed unto the court by the Modi government. It has been on the agenda of the BJP for a long time. However, now with Modi going strong politically, and the need of muslim votes being vetoed in the hustings, the agenda had gained imminency and urgency.

Before the Modi era BJP’s stand on triple talaq was seen as an extension of its pro Hindu posturing. It also was seen as a move to establish the party’s credo of opposition to pseudo secularism, of which legal -religious codes were seen as an extension.

However, Modi has given the whole issue a new inflection.Modi government is now pursuing its agenda of abolishing triple talaq as an progressive move of gender equality and women’s rights. It has been holding that the personal rights of Muslim women are being trampled by instant talaq, and that the practise is very much against the grain of Indian Constitution.

The Muslim community, on the other hand is very defensive. All India Muslim Personal Law Board has rather cautiously enunciated that the practise is bad, but that the courts and the government should not meddle in the affairs of the community. It has promised to institute measures to give women rights to counter the evils of triple talaq.

But now the matter is in the court, and once the judgement is pronounced it will open a Pandora box of litgation for polygamy and nikaaah halaala. This is sure to put the Muslim community, especially the orthodoxy on the backfoot 

LIFELINE OR DEATHLINE ?

The lifeline of India is turning out to be a deathline. Oft bragged as the biggest transporter of Indian population, the Indian Railways has become a threat for the common man who chooses to travel in it. Khatauli rail accident has brought to the fore the lackadaisical attitude of railway authorities in security and track maintenance.

Initial investigation has revealed that track was being repaired without following the norms. No deadline was being followed, and the maintenance work was being done on an ad hoc basis. Ideally, repair time should be blocked and en route trains should be informed in advance. Red flags should be put in place. No such measure were taken.

Clearly the accident was a travesty of human judgement. In fact it was blunder which cost a score of lives. A recent Niti Aayog study has pointed that 87 percent of Railway accidents are due to `human failure.’ Clearly the Railways are no stranger to such human errors. Inspite of spike in accidents the Railways have yet to take serious measures to curb mishaps.

The government is trying to bring sea changes in the functioning of the Railways, but has failed to initiate ground level changes which can stem such tragedies. Focus is too much on profit building moves and less on safety measures.

It is no wonder that the accident has given the political parties and people to question the Modi government moves to operate bullet trains. 

ARNAB - GLADIATOR OF THE NEWS ROOM

India is good at adopting franchise. The most popular reality shows on television are franchise of American originals. Now news channels are replicating the trend.

The niche created by Arnab Goswami as the face, voice, anchor and editorial head of Times Now is now a story of the past. Arnab in his new avatar is pushing aggressively his new channel Republic along this less trod, despised-and-still-liked path.

The brash and pugnacious style made so familiar by Arnab is a take off on Fox News. Fox made its currency by branding its anchors as opinionated and combative. It chose to challenge the moderate and liberal apostles of the old school journalism.

In India Arnab decided to cultivate a similar cult of journalism. He cocked a snook at his colleagues and challenged the established copy book norms of conservative news presentation.

The more the journalist tribe raised hue and cry about his style of operating the more mileage Arnab garnered in terms of TRP's. 

His base of viewers were a captive audience who bayed for blood of studio guests. Arnab went along and did a mayhem. 

Apparently his erstwhile employer, The Benett and Coleman Ltd., faced heat from somewhere high up and eased the star anchor out.

Arnab has now started his new innings at the Republic. It's tone is more raucous and rough. It embraces strident nationalism as before, but has become viciously belligerent and malicious. The reporting borders on yellow journalism. Sample the unbridled attack on Shashi Tharoor. He has got embroiled in a lawsuited for 'stealing' content from this previous employer, The Times Now. 

It is a begining of a tumultous innings. Long ago he has thrown to the winds the polite fiction of being a middle of the road liberal journalist. Now he is a performer, who dabbles in the art of making a good profit from the days news. 

WAKE UP YOGI

The Yogi cabinet has taken a slew of decisions that impact on a narrow few. Special diesel and petrol coupons for the privileged legislators and construction of Mansarovar House at the cost of 50 crore are two such decisions that have been taken.

A giant statute of Lord Shiva is to be erected in Varanasi's Dasamedh Ghat in which is going to face the famed Kashi Vishwanath mandir.
These decisions again raise the uncomfortable question that to what constituency is the Yogi government focusing. What exactly is the priority of the government and why development projects are not given preeminence ?

The government seems to be follwing an unashamed saffon agenda. Peripherial Hindu  concerns are getting their pound of flesh from the government, and tokenism is replacing policy formulation.
On the law and order front, situation is fast slipping out of hand. Saharanpur is case in the point.

Caste violence is again rearing its ugly head. Sporadic communal clashes are happening off and on. The government is busy shuffling and reshuffling its bureuacratic and setting deadlines for setting the house in order.

Sad part is that the signals emanating from the most high in the state are soft. They don't augur hard business for trouble mongers. Empty sloganeering won't do. This Yogi has to understand. He should mean business at the policy level. Hard nosed policy making is required. Strong measures are needed. Religious rhetoric should be done away with and ''a government for all' should urgently show its work on the streets.

DIGVIJAY'S WINGS CLIPPED

Digvijay Singh has been stripped of his post of general secretary of Goa and poll bound Karnatka. The move is seen as a punitive and corrective action on part of the Congress party set its house in order prior to the 2018 Karnataka hustings. 

It is also seen as a reprimand to the  Dijvijay Singh under whose helms the party was unable to form the government in Goa despite becoming the largest party.

There was much hue and cry when party lagged behind the pro active BJP  in taking initiative to form the government in Goa. It also became a butt of jokes of BJP on this count. 

With Congress political fortunes fast dwindling the party high command is unwilling to take any chances in the forthcoming polls. It wants to be seen as a strong, decisive party and hence the imperative to make correct moves. 

It also desperatively needs to win and thus sacrificing the old guard Digvijay was a decision that the High Command was wont to take. The action has come in rather belatedly, but better late than never.

Clipping the wings of a senior leader like Digvijay Singh is also a sign of climatic change within the party. Actions are now started to be taken against senior leaders which doesn’t bode good for entrenched party functionaries. Though it is a fairly good signs for the party and its fortunes.

 A decisive Sonia and Rahul is needed to change the prospects of the party for the better. Digvijay shouldn’t be the full stop but rather the comma in the ongoing internal narrative of the party.

THE YOGI GAMBIT

Some would call it a bodyblow to secular politics of the country, others would assert it as the demand of democracy. The anointment of Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of India’s largest state has shocked millions. It has upset the sage predictions of political pundits, who had earlier reeled names of various favourites for the top post. Yogi’s appointment is also being seen as a risky gambit by Modi, whose penchant for wagering political bets is ever increasing.

The fear of saffronization of politics has again cast its ominous shadow on the body politic. It may well act as a catalyst, a rallying point for diverse and dispersed political parties to huddle together in a umbrella front against the BJP. This may augur well for opposition unity, who are yet to cast aside petty issues to hammer a common united front.

Seen from the point of view of Modi, Mahant’s appointment is an tribute, a homage, to the RSS, the mother font of all primal ideological ideas that feed the BJP. It is a reminder to the core constituency of BJP that the party has not lost its way in its bid of modernization. That the agenda of economic growth in no way detracts from the ancient injunctions of the Sangh.

The crowning of Yogi is also an calculated effort to keep the flame of Hindutva steadily burning amdist all the brouhaha of development, so to speak. It can be banked upon to be cashed during the 2019 hustings.

All this is sure to endear Modi to the Pasha’s of RSS, and their goodwill will surely come handy to Modi in times of need.

Holding the Hindutva flag aloft , along with the New India mantra, way well bring some extra votes in the upcoming Gujarat,Chattisgarh and Delhi MCD elections.

The subtext of Hindutva was there all along during the last phase of  Modi’s campaigning. All that talk about graveyards, differential electricity supply during religious festivals is suddenly making sense. Fighting the UP elections without giving a single ticket to the Muslims now can be fully understood.A lead up to the consecration of the Yogi as the ruler of Uttar Pradesh.